Educating newly diagnosed cancer patients who are undergoing radiation therapy

The purpose of this research study was to examine the various levels of understanding that patients had about cancer when they had been diagnosed with the illness, and to improve their understanding of the radiation treatment process through the presentation of an educational video (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Patients often remained confused and thereby missed vital information, regardless of how many explanations or how much information they had been given to explain cancer and the options they had for treatment (Eiser, Davies, Jenny, & Glaser, 2005; Kodish et al., 2004). The goal of this study was to satisfy the need for cancer patients to be able to understand the treatment process and the terms and jargon used by the medical community. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative strategies to enrich the quality of the research. This study incorporated pre/post survey instruments, informal observations, and journaling. This study took place from January 2009-May 2011. Cancer patients were provided with information through a DVD, an ordinary, concise, three dimensional visual medium. The fifty participants enrolled in the study were required to respond to a pre-survey and a post-survey, each consisting of 10 true/false/don\u27t know questions. The survey questions used for the assessment were taken from the DVD they were asked to view entitled, Cancer Treatment: Radiation Therapy and Interactive Approach to Cancer Treatment. In 8 of the 10 questions, the percentage of correct answers increased from pre-survey to post-survey, even though on 5 of the post-survey questions, more respondents answered incorrectly than answered correctly. The pre/post survey data were analyzed to determine the impact of the video presentations on cancer patients by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study analyzed the pre/post survey comparison citing educational gains and areas requiring improvement to determine the effort needed to improve the patients\u27 experiences during the radiation period. When a t-test was performed comparing the means of the pre-survey and the postsurvey questions, using a t-test paired samples, only one question was found to be statistically significant at the 0.05 level (p \u3c= .05). The patients were surveyed, and they were required to rate their knowledge/understanding of radiation in several areas. The data suggested that the patients overwhelmingly felt that they understood the process. This study produced a substantial increase from pre-to-post survey results on a majority of the questions. Patients were asked to participate in a study and demonstrate their knowledge about the treatment of their illness during a very traumatic period in their lives. Although other research suggested that patients were often confused and unclear about the medical information, this was not the response in this study (Butow et al.,1998)

Principals' perceptions of their ability to evaluate Special education teachers using the 21st century professional teaching standards

There have been teacher evaluations in place throughout the history of education, yet teacher quality continues to be an issue. With difficulty in determining what constitutes a qualified special education teacher, evaluations have been challenging to use in an efficient and effective manner. The purpose of this research was to examine high school principals' perceptions of how the current 21st Century Professional Teaching Standards fit the various skills of special education teachers and how well prepared the principals were to evaluate special education teachers according to these standards. Ninety-six high school principals in North Carolina who were in the first phase of evaluating teachers using the 21st Century Professional Teaching Standards were surveyed. Six skill areas were included on the survey: classroom management practices, teaching strategies, inclusion facilitation, IEP development/implementation, transition planning/implementation and content knowledge. Significant differences between the skill areas were found, especially in the area of transition planning which was consistently viewed as an area of least preparation not fully addressed by the standards. Such differences were mirrored in comments made in the open-ended questions that indicated the need to have more training related to instructing students with the most severe disabilities. Principals who did receive professional development were more likely to feel prepared and indicate that the standards more adequately addressed the skill areas, although the differences were not statistically significant

Representation and Outcomes of Catheter Ablation for Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation among Patients with Obesity: A Systematic Review of Randomized Control Trials

Background: The prevalence and impact of obesity on outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not been well studied. Objective: To examine the proportion of participants with obesity enrolled in RCTs of AF ablation and outcomes of ablation when subgroup analysis of participants with obesity were available. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE for AF ablation RCTs published between January 1, 2015 to May 31, 2022. When body mass index (BMI) data were available, normal distribution was assumed and a z score was used to estimate the proportion of obesity. Results categorized by BMI or body weight status were reviewed. Authors were contacted for additional information. Results: Of 148 eligible RCTs with 30174 participants, 144 (97.30%) RCTs did not report the proportion of participants with obesity, while published information regarding BMI was available in 63.51%. Three trials excluded patients based on BMI. Using reported BMI, we estimated the proportion of participants with obesity varied greatly across these trials, ranging from 5.82%-71.9% (median 38.02%, interquartile 29.64%, 49.10%). Patients with obesity were represented in a greater proportion among trials conducted in North America (50.23%) and Asia (44.72%), compared to others (32.16%), p \u3c .001. Subgroup analysis or analysis adjusting for BMI was reported in only 13 (8.78%) RCTs; four (30.77%) of these suggested that BMI or body weight might negatively affect primary outcomes. Conclusion: Obesity is a common comorbidity among AF patients. However, most AF ablation RCTs underreported the proportion of participants with obesity and its impact on the primary outcomes.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/emet_posters/1049/thumbnail.jp

Representation and Outcome of Catheter Ablation for Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation Among Patients with Obesity: A Systematic Review of Randomized Control Studies

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2022/1018/thumbnail.jp

Recovery and Utilization of Lignin Monomers as Part of the Biorefinery Approach

Lignin is a substantial component of lignocellulosic biomass but is under-utilized relative to the cellulose and hemicellulose components. Historically, lignin has been burned as a source of process heat, but this heat is usually in excess of the process energy demands. Current models indicate that development of an economically competitive biorefinery system requires adding value to lignin beyond process heat. This addition of value, also known as lignin valorization, requires economically viable processes for separating the lignin from the other biomass components, depolymerizing the lignin into monomeric subunits, and then upgrading these monomers to a value-added product. The fact that lignin’s biological role is to provide biomass with structural integrity means that this heteropolymer can be difficult to depolymerize. However, there are chemical and biological routes to upgrade lignin from its native form to compounds of industrial value. Here we review the historical background and current technology of (thermo) chemical depolymerization of lignin; the natural ability of microbial enzymes and pathways to utilize lignin, the current prospecting work to find novel microbial routes to lignin degradation, and some applications of these microbial enzymes and pathways; and the current chemical and biological technologies to upgrade lignin-derived monomers

Prognostic significance of 18F-sodium fluoride in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients

Focal bone lesions and fractures due to weakened bone are associated with higher morbidity and mortality of multiple myeloma (MM) patients. 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) is a sensitive PET radiotracer for detection of abnormal bone metabolism and, therefore, is particularly suited to assess the degree of bone involvement in MM patients. We aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of metabolic active volume (MAV) of 18F-NaF-avid lesions in MM patients. In addition to MAV, conventional methods of PET quantification, namely SUVmean and SUVmax, were measured in each patient for the purpose of comparison. Thirty-seven newly diagnosed MM patients were included. PET imaging was performed after intravenous administration of 200 MBq NaF. Active bone lesions and fractures on whole-body 18F-NaF-PET/CT scans were identified. An adaptive thresholding algorithm automatically calculated the total MAV, SUVmean and SUVmax for each patient (ROVER, ABX, Radeberg, Germany). The patients were followed for a median of 39.8 months after treatment (range: 17.8-55.4). The overall survival (OS) of patients with 18F-NaF-MAV value &gt; 38.65 (36.36% [N of Events/Total N: 4/11]) was significantly shorter than that of patients with 18F-NaF-MAV value &lt; 38.65 (3.85% [1/26]; P = 0.002). In multivariate forward stepwise (conditional LR) Cox regression analysis of prognostic factors of OS (including 18F-NaF-MAV (&gt; 38.65 or &lt; 38.65), age, gender, beta-2 microglobulin, and revised international staging system), 18F-NaF-MAV remained the only significant factor (HR: 14.39, P = 0.02). The results for PFS were not significant. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier analyses of conventional methods of PET quantification did not reveal any statistically significant log-rank p-values. MM patients with high 18F-NaF-MAV had shorter overall survival, compared to those with low 18F-NaF-MAV levels (NCT02187731).</p